Zenith
by Exilo
Summary: In the bustling metropolis of Goldenrod, beneath the veneer and glitz, there is a darkness. Cruelty, abuse, and crime are just the beginning. An adult Pokemon fic. Read and Review please. Sequel to the "Knight and the Princess" by Gecko-1539. For Pae.
1. Chapter 1

**March 18****th**** was Pae's birthday and I wrote her up a fic. It wasn't a bad fic; if I had posted it normally it would have been fine. But I gave that to her as a gift, and it was not good enough for her. So for a long while I was racking my brain, thinking up another fic I could give her, one that would hopefully be better. When she went on vacation for a bit, I had again tried my hand at writing something, but I couldn't get it done. Fortunately, Gecko-1539 was able to write a proper ending, but I was still pressed to figure something out for Pae. And thankfully, I got this together. Pae, I hope you like this. Consider it another (late) birthday gift. I love you, my sweet.**

_Chapter 1_

"The Gauntlet" had opened just two months ago, but it was already the most popular place in all of Goldenrod. More battles were held there than the local gym, since the Gauntlet had more publicity and wonderful prizes for the victor, far more than some petty gym badge. It was a place where people could come and bet on the battles and shows, and trainers could show their true merit. It was frowned upon by many, especially the police, but the battles never quite broke any rules, so there was little to be done.

Princess was happy to show off for the cameras before the match. She and Jenna were the top team of bracket B, the tournament being handled in elimination style, with the brackets working their way to the end, then the victors fighting each other, until there was only one left. Princess and Jenna had won six matches this week, and if they won the seventh, they would win the special prize. Jenna had been ecstatic all day. She had won five badges from the various gyms, yet Princess had never seen her this excited till now. And that made the Vulpix all the more eager to fight.

Her opponent, her last opponent, was a Snorlax; a gigantic monster mountain of a creature. As he entered the ring, the ground shook, and the Vulpix bounced a little bit up and down. He stomped about the arena, making an awful racket. Each of his pounding steps made Princess jump a bit, no matter how she fought to brace herself. And to be honest, she was a little scared. She looked over her shoulder to Jenna, and her trainer gave her a soft, loving smile. Princess smiled back.

The referee lifted his two flags: red representing Vulpix and green representing Snorlax. He blabbed about something, and then the fight was on. The Snorlax started the battle in the oddest way possible. He lifted his massive hands, and began drumming on his huge gut. Princess looked back to Jenna, hoping for some sort of advice on what to do next. Jenna gave an odd shrug.

"Now that you're worked up," shouted the Snorlax's trainer. "Mega Punch." The Snorlax's fist glowed white, and he charged forward with an impressive amount of speeding, considering his weight. He punched forward, but Princess just managed to jump back. He was fast, and by how the punch broke the arena's ground, immensely strong. But Princess was confident she could keep one step ahead. Indeed, she managed to dodge and duck several of his punches, each instead breaking into the ground. But then the full largeness of the Snorlax was in the air, and the Vulpix realized he was using body slam. Then she doubted she could dodge. She heard Jenna scream, and though the Vulpix did turn and try to dash, the thousands of pounds of mushy fat sudden squished down upon her.

It hurt, but considering the Snorlax's stomach gave way easily, she didn't feel anything broken. More than anything, she was just rattled and stunned. Pawing furiously, she wiggled and pushed against the thick, smothering fat, trying to escape the embrace. Finally, she saw light. She pushed her paws forward, and dragged herself out from under the giant's girth, panting and breathing fresh air.

"Princess!" Jenna kept screaming. "Princess!"

When her hind paws were free, Princess leapt away. "Princess," her trainer said. "We can't just play the mouse. Flamethrower, while he's getting up."

The Snorlax was on all fours, trying to rise to his feet (which was quite difficult it seemed). The Vulpix took a deep breath, and breathed out a torrent of fire for as long as her diaphragm would allow. She caught her breath, panting. As the smoke cleared, the Snorlax stood there, skin smoking a bit, but otherwise fine.

"Princess…Fire Blast!"

The Snorlax started coming forward. Princess braced herself, taking a deep breath, before breathing out another large torrent of flame. When she had to stop, again, the Snorlax continued forward. Princess backed away, trying to catch her breath, but she was overheating. And the Snorlax, when in range, took a massive grip around her middle. To Princess' horror, she could have sworn that the rival trainer ordered his Snorlax to eat her. Fortunately, she heard Jenna first and foremost. As the Snorlax opened his mouth, Jenna's voice came and ordered her to use Fire Blast. The Vulpix closed her eyes and stuck nearly her whole head into the Snorlax's gaping maw. She opened her mouth, and breathed whatever fire she still had. The Snorlax gagged and dropped her, spitting wildly, breathing fire as if it were one of his attacks.

"He's not fireproof on the inside, Princess!" Jenna shouted. "Now, climb him, and bite his ear."

Again, the Vulpix was a little confused at that, but she trusted in her trainer. The Snorlax was flailing. Princess dodged and ducked between the flabby swinging limbs, and climbed onto his shoulder, before clamping her muzzle down hard on his ear. The Snorlax roared, and clenched a glowing fist. "Jump!" shouted Jenna, and the Vulpix leapt behind the Snorlax. The glowing fist punched, smashing into the Snorlax's head, as Princess dashed far from him. The Snorlax fell back, rocking the ground as the massive fat hit the floor.

"Snorlax is unable to battle," the referee said. "Jenna and Vulpix are the winner."

Then there were cameras flashing. The crowd was cheering. Princess smiled wide at the loud applause, and then as Jenna came running into the ring. Her trainer took her around the middle and picked her up into her arms. Jenna planted kisses on Princess's head, whispering how proud she was of her. Princess gave her little licks back. She was proud herself. Exhausted, and had a rattling in her head from when the Snorlax had landed on her, but proud none the less.

In one of the arena's sky boxes, was a large man, clean shaven, and having a vast, muscular build, he had more than a passing resemblance to a Machoke just beside him. To that end, there was a Machoke just beside him, arms crossed over its massive pectorals.

The human lifted his phone to his ear, and said, "She's perfect."

***

The Gauntlet had no Pokémon Center of its own, but it had one right next door, and that was Jenna's first stop. When the adrenaline of the battle died down, she was overcome with worry about her Vulpix. Princess as well felt an achiness in her bones. The Snorlax had really done a number on her. A second hit and she would have been knocked clean out. The center took good care of her. The kind Nurse Joy checked her out, gave her some medicines and let her sleep in a warm, comfy bed the whole night. Princess had wonderful dreams, and woke up the next day not only to Jenna's smiling face, but a nice bag of treats.

"Princess," Jenna said. She fed one treat to the happy Vulpix. "I'm very proud of you."

Princess gave a munch of the food and happy yip.

"We got an invitation to an exclusive party. Everyone else is still too tired from running the Gauntlet, but I wanted to bring the little vixen who took down a tubby giant."

Princess gave a happy nod, and spent the rest of the time before nightfall relaxing with her trainer. For this special meeting, trainer groomed her properly: brushing her fur and massaging her tails. What a wonderful day she had.

Jenna carried Princess in her arms to the Gauntlet. A new week of rounds had started, and few of the crowd noticed their prior champion. That hurt Princess somehow. The prior day, they had all cheered and shouted for her. Now they didn't notice.

Jenna stroked Princess' head. "Oh relax. You'll always be my champ. And who knows, maybe the mystery prize will be a championship belt."

Princess put her head down, yawning slightly. They went the same way as before, as if going to the locker rooms, but this time they made a left instead of a right at the fork in the halls, and moved through the door and into the hallway. It was bright this way. The walls of the arena were painted a deep scarlet, and the locker room was grey. This hallway was painted white, with very bright flood lights on the ceiling. Princess started to get a headache. Finally, at the end of the hallway, they came to an elevator. Princess sensed a little pause in Jenna's movements. Princess gave her a lick under the chin to assure her. Jenna returned it with a kiss on the nose, before they stepped through the door.

There was a man wearing black, serving as the elevator's conductor. "Um…the VIP floor please," Jenna asked.

Most of the man in black's face was covered by the shadow from the visor of his cap. His gloved hand lifted and put a key into the wall, above the buttons for the elevator. The key sank in, and he twisted it, and Jenna felt the elevator lurch. She hugged Princess a little tighter, and into her ear whispered, "Something feels wrong…"

The elevator doors opened, and Jenna instinctively walked out. Being the VIP floor, she was expecting something big and grand. She was expecting a party perhaps? Lots of well dressed people, sitting around, smoking and chatting about battles and fights. Maybe she expected a party in her honor, or some sort of elaborate rewards ceremony for when they gave her the victory belt. There was a smell of smoke, subtle yet noticeable, but not people sitting around talking. This room had the same red and black color scheme as the arena, but this place was noticeably dimmer. At the desk all the way into the room sat a very large man, and beside him a hulking Machoke. The man smoked and puffed gently on a cigar. He rose from his chair, still puffing lightly, the little glow at the end of it illuminating his features.

"I saw your fight last night. You were quite impressive. Both of you."

"Thank you," Jenna said softly. "May I ask…your name?"

"You can call me Vaux. You see, I'm something of a talent scout, you see, for our organization. And I must say, you have such talent."

"Thank you," Jenna said. She was squeezing Princess tight to her chest when she took a step back, and hit a muscular wall. Looking back, she saw the elevator conductor.

"We are always looking for strong Pokémon, and your Vulpix is quite strong. Would you be willing to part with her?"

"I'm sorry; she's not up to be traded."

"I never said anything about trading, my dear."

Jenna turned and swung a leg into the elevator conductor's crotch. He gave a yell, falling to his knees, and Jenna had pushed past him, running for the elevator. The man on the floor reached into his coat, but Vaux sharply said, "Don't you idiot, you might hit the Vulpix."

Jenna dashed into the elevator, and pounded every button. When that didn't work, she turned the key that was still in the lock, and the doors closed, before the Machoke who had been sent to catch her could reach the doors. The elevator began its slow descent. Jenna was nearly crying, holding Princess tight against her chest. "I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking stupid. Oh geez…Princess. I'm so sorry."

Princess licked her trainer under the chin, trying to assure her it was alright. Jenna kissed her back. "We…we have to get to the police. We have to get out of here." She set Princess down and wiped her eyes on her arm. The door opened, and Jenna and Princess headed down the hallway at a careful jog. Reaching the first hallways again, Jenna tried to walk slow and inconspicuous, but soon enough she saw the security guards and ticket takers touch their ears and start pushing through the crowd towards her. Scooping up her Vulpix again, Jenna turned and ran. She was smaller, and by that virtue, and squeezing Princess to her chest, she could duck and dodge through the crowds until she reached a doorway, a fire escape perhaps but she was not exactly concerned with what it was. Just that it was a way out. She slipped through and closed it, hoping that the bad guys didn't see her.

Back to running. The way behind them was a dead end so Jenna ran forward. Princess could run herself, but Jenna was clinging tightly to her. At least until they turned a corner, and came to another wall. Something like twenty feet high, and slick, slimy bricks that made getting a grip impossible.

Jenna set Princess down. Undeterred, the Pokémon prowled the wall for some opening, some loose brick that would let them slip out. Finding none, she went in front of Jenna and readied to fight. Down the hallway, they could hear scuffling and shouting. The bad people were coming. Down the hallway, they could hear scuffling and shouting. The bad people were coming.

"Princess," Jenna said. She took a poke ball off her belt, though Princess didn't notice. "I'm very proud of you. I love you very dearly. From the moment you hatched from that egg, I've always loved you. I just want you to know that. Return."

The red light of the ball swallowed the Vulpix up, just as she turned, in shock at that word, but already she was trapped inside the ball. "I love you, my little Princess," Jenna said softly, giving the ball one last kiss. She pulled her arm back, and then threw it with all her might. It arched high over the wall, and then dropped down over the other side, out of sight. Jenna sighed. She sat back against the wall, waiting for the footsteps to come upon her.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Marowaks were not native to Johto, nor were they common in cities in general, so any who saw Knight wandering the streets assumed he belonged to someone and was simply on a mission from a trainer. So no one really bothered him, save some ruffians who he managed to get around by ducking down an alleyway. If it were up to him, he wouldn't have even come into the city, but Rook wanted to, and somehow the decision was made.

Rook was a Pidgey who Knight had met a while ago and had ended up a traveling companion of his. They had become close quickly, which was odd, considering Knight's rather anti-social nature prior, but they were close, so Knight didn't mind these little incursions into the human cities when Rook's belly rumbled for something. Besides, sometimes humans threw out tasty treats, better than eating wild berries day in day out. All Knight had to do was dig through a couple trashcans and he usually found something. In one dumpster, outside a bakery, he dug out a roll with only a couple bites out of it. Rook, who was on the rim of the dumpster, quickly grabbed the roll in his beak and flew a bit up.

"Rook!" Knight screamed, stumbling out of the dumpster. He grabbed his bone from the ground and threw it, but the Pidgey easily dodged the initial swing, as well as the return swing. Rook took the roll in his talons and ripped a bite off. After swallowing, and laughing softly, he fluttered back down to the ground.

"Oh relax," the Pidgey said. "I'm going to share."

Knight grabbed the roll and started eating furiously. Pidgey fluttered up and settled on his usual perch at the crown of Knight's head.

"How about the sweet smelling store?" Rook asked.

Knight took a bit of the roll, then ripped another piece off and fed it to the bird. "Alright, then we head home. When are you going to evolve anyway? I'm getting tired of people sitting on my head."

Rook stretched out his wings. "Tell you what, as soon as I am big enough, you'll be the first to ride me."

Knight ripped a bit of the roll off and passed it. "Sounds fair."

The "Sweet Shop" unsurprisingly had a very sweet smell that wafted through the streets and alleyways, making it rather easy for them to find it, even in the labyrinth of streets and alleyways. Rook fluttered to the dumpster, and began pecking, looking for something good. Knight, who was mostly satisfied with the bread, let him have his fun, instead leaning against the wall. He smiled to himself.

A flicker of light caught his eye. It could have been nothing: broken glass, a piece of scrap metal. No real sense in going to the bother of digging it out, but for whatever reason, his interest perked. Knight reached into the pile of garbage, groping around. His thick skin would protect him from getting cut, if it was broken glass. Finally closing his fingers on something solid, he pulled it out and discovered a Pokeball. The Poke'ball was dirty and scratched, like it had been exposed to the elements for some time.

"Rook," he said, setting the ball down. Rook fluttered over and landed on the ground beside him. "Get ready." Rook nodded, fluttering up slightly off the ground, eyeing the ball carefully. Knight tapped his bone against the ball's center. It blinked a moment, and then opened, and white light spilled out. Both Knight and Rook were at the ready. They had known some Pokemon to be ornery for absolutely no reason, and it occurred to Knight that, if this Pokemon had been stuck in his ball for a while, he might lash out at the first thing that he saw. But then the light faded, and both lowered their guard. Even though Rook did not know this Pokemon, he knew that it wasn't a threat. This Vulpix was on its belly, eyes screwed shut, teeth gritted. It seemed to be in agonizing pain.

Knight, on the other hand, did recognize this Vulpix. It did take a moment for his mind to work and him to make the connection, but then softly, he said, "Princess?" The Vulipx's eyes cracked open, barely, then screwed shut as her body was racked by another shudder. Knight looked her over, noting the overgrow of her hair, the looseness of her skin, the bloodshot of her eyes for how briefly they were open. "What happened to you?"

"Knight, who is this?" Rook asked.

"An old friend of mine," Knight said.

"We should get her to a hospital."

"No," Princess growled suddenly. "No, no. No, no, no hospital. What if they're there? I can't go there. I have to find Trainer." She tried to stand, body shaking. Knight walked over and put his arms around her neck. She calmed down from there, and nuzzled at his chest subconsciously, before seeming to pass out. Knight carefully set her down, stroking her softly, in case she woke up again and panicked.

"Rook, get the ball," Knight said.

Rook could just barely manipulate things with his wings, and managed to activate the ball to bring the Vulpix back in.

"Would you please fly back to the camp?" Knight said. Rook nodded, and taking the ball into his talons, started flapping his wings furiously. He stopped in the dumpster, and took a discarded plastic bag of treats he had collected into his beak, before starting off. Gaining height, he slipped out of Knight's view and over the line of buildings. Knight rested his bone on his shoulder as he headed back out of the alley and through the streets.

Of course, Rook reached the camp first. The camp was simply a clearing near the river, where Knight and Rook had spent some time relaxing. Rook fluttered, setting the pokeball down, then fluttering a bit away and settling onto the ground. He put the bag down, and then hopped over to the pokeball, before tapping it with his beak.

The white light exploded out and the Vulpix again burst out. She lay on the ground, eyes screwed shut and tail down, whole body stiff. She was like a skeleton with fur, her skin so loosely hung on her bones. Vulpixs' never had much body weight, and so a lack of regular feedings could conceivably lead to this…ghastly sight. Still, how long had she gone without food?

Rook may not have known this Vulpix…Princess, Knight had called her, but he was far from uncompassionate. He hoped over to the bag, and after pecking it just right with his beak, got it open. He took up one of the treats in his beak, and hoped back to the Vulpix, before setting it down at her muzzle. She sniffed softly, barely recognizing that there was a scent there, and her tongue inched out, but all too quickly flopped down onto the ground. With a clumsy wing, Rook did what he could to stroke her back. "It's alright…Princess…" A feather tip nudged the treat closer to her mouth, putting it right against her lips. With some strength, she curled her tongue around it, and brought it into her mouth. "Chew…chew…" Princess understood the warning, and ground her teeth softly, before struggling to lift her head, tilt it back, and send the sustenance down her throat.

That small extension of energy tired her out. She flopped back onto the ground, panting for breath. "I'm Rook, by the way. I'm Knight's friend."

The Vulpix looked up to the Pidgey. "Knight…what happened to him…he's gotten so fat."

The Pidgey gave a slight caw of amusement. "Yeah, he's a big boy now." Not sure what to do, Rook lowered his wing and gave the Vulpix a kind stroke. The Vulpix tensed at the touch, then relaxed, giving a soft purring sound.

"I shouldn't be here," the Princess said, voice nearly breaking in weakness. Rook fluttered to get another snack, and again aided her in eating. After swallowing the mouthful, she said, "I have to go. Trainer, I have to go."

"Princess, you're not going anywhere. You can barely walk."

"I have to go," she said again, trying to stand, but crumbled weakly to the ground.

Rook frowned, and put his wings around her neck in the same way he had seen Knight do to calm her down. Somehow it worked. She gave a few yips and a weak nip on his shoulder, but then more or less passed out. Rook didn't immediately set her down. He rather liked holding her, hugging her, nuzzling her with his beak which earned little squeals in her sleep. He was like that when Knight finally came back, sometime towards nightfall.

Rook looked up to him, a bit embarrassed of his position, but Knight only smiled and sat down beside them both. Like that, they spent the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

Princess nose was first to open when she woke the next morning. There were all sorts of scents in the morning, especially when outside: flowers, fresh air, and the fluttering spores of Butterfree wings, even the sun had its own unique scent this time of the day. Something wrong and rich. But then there were other scents she was not so familiar with. An earthy scent, like bleached bones. A scent like a down pillow, which was what they had in the Pokémon Center, so she had smelled it quite a bit. She nuzzled at the latter smell, trying to explore, and heard a slight caw, and the form she was nuzzling against her left. She opened her eyes to see a Pidgey, a little frightened by her coming to, looking at her. "Rook," she said softly. "Right?"

Something scratched her head. She looked to her side, and saw a skull masked face, and though Knight looked so different than when she had last seen him as a Cubone, something just told her this was him. Oh, the relief to see a friendly face. Granted, a face that was covered by a rather frightening mask made out of a dead creature's skull, but a face none the less. And nice brown eyes calmed her down.

"Knight," she said. "I have to get to Trainer."

"Princess," Knight said in turn. "You're not going anywhere. Now there are a lot of ways I can keep you here, but all but one involves bones. Won't say which, since I'm not sure which I want to break."

Princess groaned and growled under her breath. Rook hopped over to the spread of edibles they had set up, and took up a bowl of water in two wings. He hopped back to Princess, and set it down, and she quickly lapped it up to ease her aching throat and tongue. She finished that bowl in a matter of minutes. Rook huffed, and taking the bowl in his beak, hopped over to the river to fetch some more water.

"Princess, what happened?" Knight ask. He took up some berried he had gathered, and began feeding them to her softly. She was tempted to binge on the pile, but no matter how voracious she may be, she knew that would do little more than make her sick. Better to eat slow, chew, drink plenty of water. Let her belly be reminded what it meant to be full.

"What day is it?" Princess asked.

"I…don't know," Knight admitted.

"The big clock in the town said Tuesday…yesterday," Rook said, setting the bowl full of water down again. "So today must be Wednesday."

Princess gave a soft whimper. "Oh…how long had I been in the pokeball?"

"You look half starved," Knight said. "I would say a week perhaps. Maybe a bit more. Princess, please, what happened."

Princess finished her third bowl of water and ate a few more berries before she felt the strength to talk. "Trainer and I were…we were someplace. And there were these people in black. They…wanted me. Trainer ran, but then we couldn't run. And she made me return into my ball. And I don't know what happened then. But I was in the ball for so long. I was so hungry, and I just wanted to get out. But I couldn't. I didn't have the strength to. I was in there for so long. Every minute I just got hungrier and more tired. And I don't know what happened to Trainer. She called me back, but I didn't want her to, but she did…"

Knight put his arms around her to calm her down. It sounded like she was close to hyperventilating.

"It's alright, your trainer is gone," Knight said.

"I don't want her to be gone!" Princess screamed. "I want to be with her. I'm afraid something happened. I'm afraid that those people in black did something to her. And that man with the Machoke. I want to know where she is so I can be with her!"

Knight's hand ran down her body softly, earning a little shiver. Princess caught her breath, and looked to the Pidgey. "Rook," she asked. Rook sprang to attention. "I…could you go into town and look for her?"

Rook was going to explain that he hadn't any idea who it is he should be looking for, but Knight looked at him briefly and he nodded his head. Princess didn't seem to be in the right mindset, and if it kept her here to rest, Rook could certainly fly around the city a bit. "I'll be back soon," he said. Knight gave a happy nod and whispered his thanks, before Pidgey started flapping his wings and took off flying.

It was a nice day for flying: the sun was out. The air was catching under his wings perfectly and so he didn't have to flap, but rather could just peacefully glide along. Getting back to the city didn't take too long, and he fluttered upon reaching it, and perched on one of the protruding edges of the Golden Rod Department Store. At first he figured he would just spend a few hours in the city, then return and tell Princess he couldn't find a lead on her missing trainer, which was not a lie. He probably would have just stayed perched on the ledge of the building for those hours, enjoying the warm rays of the sun, when his sharp eyes caught a duo of people wearing black walking down the street. Their monochrome clothing is what caught him, not just because Princess had mentioned the people in black, but also because they so sharply contrasted the otherwise colorful clothing of the city's populous. For better or worse, the Pidgey was somewhat curious about that, and floated easily down to the roof of a lower building to watch these strange people, until they disappeared into a building with a big sign that said "the Gauntlet".

Rook watched that building closely. He watched people come in and out, but more importantly, he kept seeing people in black come in and out. They were all wearing black caps, so he couldn't tell if they were different people, but he assumed they were. And there were other people, who didn't wear black, come in and out, but that there were people in black at all struck Rook as something important. What important, he hadn't a clue. But something.

He glided over to a newsstand, and perched on a rooftop across the street. He waited and watched for a while, until finally a young kid ordered his Poliwag to use Water Gun on the clerk. The clerk gave a huff and chased after the delinquent, chasing him a few steps. Before he came back, Rook had swooped down, snatched the day's paper up in his talons, and was already flying back to the camp.

He set the paper down. Princess, curious of what he had, came padding over, as did Knight though the latter tried to act like he didn't care too much about it. "Did you find Trainer?" Princess asked.

"No, but I grabbed a paper. Maybe there is something about a disappearance in it. I did see a lot of people in black going into a building that said, 'the Gauntlet'. Maybe something in here about that too," Rook said.

Princess paused. "That's where Trainer took me. Was she there?"

"I didn't go in, but it seemed popular." Rook began skimming through the pages of the paper. Princess looked a bit closer. "I thought there might be something in here."

"You can read?" Princess asked.

Rook nodded, a bit proud. "Yeah, I can."

On page six, there was a picture of a very large human, standing with an equally large Machoke by his side. "Hey, Princess, is this the person?"

Princess looked to the photo, then nodded.

Rook settled down and started to read. "Thomas Vaux made a substantial donation to the 'People and Poke'mon' charity this week. This donation coincides with another investigation for alleged ties to the criminal syndicate, _Team Rocket_. Blah blah blah. The proprietor of the popular battle club, _The Gauntlet_ has dodged convictions, including Pokemon smuggling, several times. Blah blah blah. However, like all other charges, it seems doubtful that they will stick, as again, Vaux and the mayor were having dinner at a local restaurant. Blah blah blah." Rook looked up to Vulpix, whose mouth was fuming with fire. She breath a long stream of fire at the paper, incinerating it as both Knight and Rook moved back to avoid the heat. They looked back up to see Princess racing towards the town.

Both Knight and Rook knew what to do, and sprang after her. The Vulpix was significantly faster than the Marowak, but the Pidgey, by flying, was able to get ahead. By flapping and pounding his wings, he worked up a furious gust that slowed Princess down until Knight could tackle her. Furious, she bit and scratched and clawed at him. Using his bone, he managed to pin her down by pressing it to her throat, which stopped her struggles. "Princess," he said sharply. "Princess…calm down I'm not going to hurt you, but I'm not going to let you get yourself killed either. Your trainer is gone. She's gone, and no matter what you do now, she's going to be gone. You can't do anything for her. So stop acting so stupid."

"You heartless little cretin," she hissed. "What? Going to give me some story about how your trainer didn't love you enough? He skipped a couple meal? He never said he was proud of you? He left you at the Pokemon Center instead of picking you up one day? Stop acting like a baby and get over it. And let me up! And help me…Trainer was…she was everything. She was the first thing I saw when I was hatched. She's always been there for me. She can't be gone."

Knight growled and stood up, letting Princess squirm to her feet. "You want to know what happened to me?" he asked…


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

"I was young. I don't know how young, but young. Probably just hatched, around that time."

Knight had started walking as he talked, and Princess followed, not realizing he was guiding her back to the camp. "All I ever knew was my trainer. I don't remember his name. I never really needed it since we were just alone a lot. He was Trainer to me. He taught me a lot. He taught me how to fight and stuff and fed me. I don't know. Maybe he was grooming me to be a warrior for a tournament, cause we had a rather rigid schedule for training. I never knew my mom. They say that is common, but I never really missed her. Cause I had him. And he loved more. Or I thought he did. But I loved him. I really did.

"Well, we got along fine. He seemed to like me, and he was a nice trainer. He had nice kids, who I played with and protected when they wandered out. Sometimes a Ratata came along and hissed at them and I bopped them on the head to keep them at bay. And once…once a Persian came out of the grass and growled and stalked his kid. And I kept them safe. Not that that ended well for me, but I did make sure they were safe. I did everything for him. I loved him, and he said he loved me. And his kids said they loved me.

"Then one day, some people came to see him. Bad people, who drove a truck that had its back loaded with cages. I was with the children then. We were playing in the meadow. Some sort of castle game-thing. I had to guard the grand castle of cardboard boxes from one of them, and keep the sister safe. They came to get me, in the fields. I didn't realize at first. I didn't know who they were. But they grabbed me. The bad people who put me in a cage. I mean, the kids were sad about that, but their father, my trainer who said he loved me and thanked me when I got eviscerated by a pissed off Persian, just said that he would get them a new Cubone, and a Butterfree, and a Growlithe, and they just shrugged and forgot about me. I watched them, from the cage, I watched them cry then straighten out. And there was nothing left inside them. They forgot about me.

"That's what humans are Princess. They're selfish creatures, who may say they love you, but when push comes to shove they will leave you to rot. Trainer did nothing for me. He didn't defend me. He didn't hide me. Just up and left, and probably bought a new Cubone the next day. That's what humans do."

Princess growled at him. "Not all humans."

Knight growled. "Yes Princess, all humans. Every one of them!"

Princess walked over, and looked the Marowak straight into the eye. "My trainer may be dead, because she wouldn't hand me over. She made sure I was safe, before she ever worried about herself. And if you ever say that again about her, I'll eat you. Got that."

The Pidgey hopped between the two Pokemon and lifted his wings, blocking their view of each other. "Will you two calm down," he snapped. He did realize the immense danger of getting between two rather large, very angry Pokemon, but he loved Knight dearly, and he had taken a rather quick liking to Princess. For that, he was willing to risk a few burned and beaten feathers.

"Knight," Princess said. "She could have caught you, when you were passed out, if all she cared about was her Pokedex. She could have not allowed me to stay behind and make sure you are alright. She could not have let you go when you were feeling better. Knight, you know that she wasn't like that. You just have too much of a hard goddamn head!"

Rook fluttered up to Knight's head and pecked at his skull. "He really does." Rook dodged a slow whack of Knight's bone, and went to perch beside Princess.

"You're too weak to go out, Princess."

"I don't care," Princess said firmly.

"You're too weak to fight."

She growled under her breath.

"If you stay here for a week, and gather your strength, I have a way to make you stronger."

Princess' eyes narrowed. "How so?"

"Just trust me Princess. I'll make you stronger."

Princess growled, and nodded.

The next few days were not just spent sleeping and resting. They did plenty of that, Knight and Rook both gathered the food and water, and for the first five or so days, they brought the food to Princess to eat. Bit by bit, she started putting back on her lost weight. But after the second day, Princess began exercising as well. During the morning, Rook and her played a game of tag. He would swoop down and peck her, and then it was her job to tackle him. For the sake of the game, he glided low to the ground, and she didn't use any of her fire. During the afternoon, after lunch, Knight and her played mock battles. He would swing his bone at her, and she would dodge, and hour by hour, day by day, the fights grew more and more vicious.

Princess actually though that this was some sort of Zen/Ninja method of her getting stronger, but no. A week of being inside her ball left her muscles withered, and she required a week's exercise to get back into shape. Back into the shape she was in before that. But Knight had actually meant, even in her prime as a Vulpix, she was too weak to really fight. He seemed to know these sort of things, so she trusted his judgement.

Knight's real way to make her stronger came about from a Fire Stone he pulled out of a knapsack he carried around with him. "Where…where did you get that?" Princess asked.

"I scavenge a lot. I've got tons in here…a King's Rock, a Water Stone, the upper half of an Ultra Ball. Don't know when something like this will come in handy. You know what a Fire Stone will do, right? Something to make you stronger."

The Vulpix backed away slightly, shivering. She could feel heat radiating off the stone, so intense that she wondered how Knight could hold it without being burned. Or perhaps that was just in her head. She was imagining the great heat, the great power radiating to her and making her fur stand on end, her muscles go rigid, her tails to shoot straight up.

Jenna had offered her the chance to evolve on occasion, but Princess always declined. She could become so much stronger, she knew, and faster, but she always declined. Some part of her was afraid. Afraid of the power, if she could control it. But also afraid of a change at all. She didn't like change. She wanted things to stay the same. She wanted to be with Jenna now. She hated not knowing things too, though, she was fairly certain she knew what happened to Jenna.

Her paw clenched tight, before extending towards the stone. The heat seemed to increase the closer she got, until it felt like her fur should be on fire. When she touched it, it was like nothing she had ever felt before. Heat and power surged through her like a she had been struck by lightning. She cringed and tightened, sucking in a breath and feeling the power surge through her lungs. Claws dug into the soil beneath her paws. Her vision swirled into a mass of white light. At some point, she must have lost her balance, because when her vision finally returned, she was lying on her belly. Rook nudged a bowl of water towards her. Princess didn't have an interest in drinking right now. Instead she just looked into the bowl, and found a pale fox staring back at her. Her muzzle up turned in a wide grin.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

Princess was still getting used to the extension of her four legs as she and Knight headed into the town. Gone was that stubby, chubby little canine, replaced by a graceful, beautiful pale vixen. Longer limbs meant easier walking. She felt more graceful as she prowled along. She felt more heat in her breast from her internal flame. She felt stronger. She felt faster. She felt power surging through her like she had never known, and felt an urge to use it.

A new week's round had started at the Gauntlet, so it was quite crowded. There were spotlights outside the front of the battle area, aimed up to the sky so that anyone who came along would have to be sure that that was the place to go to. There were swarms of people and their Pokemon coming in and out, so it would be easy for Princess and Knight to slip in by standing near someone.

"Give us thirty minutes," Knight said, aware that Rook was able to tell time.

"Just what is the plan you have?" Rook asked.

Knight shrugged. "Just be ready." He turned, and crossed the street with Princess at his side, and they moved into the crowd that was gradually sifting through the doors and into the lobby. Princess tensed. Knight took note of that, and shifted his bone to his other hand. The hand that was closer to Princess gently stroked her back, trying to calm her down, but little wisps of fire were escaped through her agape jaws. "What plan do we have?" Knight asked.

"I…I don't know," Princess whispered under her breath. She turned, and began padding to her left, through the crowd of humans. Reaching the side wall, she waited for Knight to come beside her. "I don't know what to do."

Knight nodded. "We should find a back room maybe. A storage room. Someplace where we might find your trainer, if they are keeping her imprisoned or something."

"We won't find Trainer," she said softly.

Knight gave her a pat on the head. "Then let's find the people responsible." Princess looked up to him, smiling slightly, and nodding. "We'll wait till the lobby clears out a little more," he said. "Then, hopefully we'll be able to move a bit more freely, without having someone trip over us."

Princess sighed. If she hated change, and she hated not knowing things, she really, really hated waiting. Just sitting there, against the wall, watching human legs pass by as they all shuffled through the lobby to get to their seats around the arena, or stopped at the concession stand for a soda and snacks. "At this rate, the half hour will be up before the fatties leave," Princess grumbled.

Actually, it only took about ten minutes for the lobby to lighten up to the point that they could travel, though they didn't get far. One of the security guards came walking over and took the Ninetales by the nape. Of course, fewer people in the lobby meant the security were more likely to notice them, but it had been a risk. Princess found something paralyzing about that grip, she found it difficult to move as he lifted her off the ground slightly. Knight turned, about to attack the man, when something occurred to him.

"You two lost?" the security asked. "Don't worry, I'll take you into the lost and found." He squatted, picking the Marowak up under the arm, and carried both the Pokemon down a hallway. Princess whined slightly, squirming once or twice, but even when she gained enough strength to bite him, his thick skin and the glove (most likely designed to handle Pokémon) kept him from letting go. Instead he just pulled up sharply on her nape, and she was reduced to paralysis again. "Dumb mongrel," the man muttered. "You'll fetch a high price though. Serves the dumb bitch right who left you alone in the lobby to lose you. 'No, sorry ma'am, I ain't seen your Ninetales. _The Gauntlet_ is not responsible for lost or stolen Pokémon.' Ah, this place is getting too familiar. Vaux oughta be moving the operation to somewhere else. Blackthorn or something. Only so many cops to pay off before it cuts into our profit."

Since Knight was mostly acting docile and had yet to resist in the slightest, to open the door to a storage room, he set the Marowak down and typed the appropriate code into the control pad. The door and walls must have been sound proof, because the moment the door was opened, a torrent of screams and cries assaulted their ears. Hissing, roaring, shouting, snarling.

Knight turned and smashed his bone into the security's kneecap, sending the joint backwards in a ghastly manner. The security man's scream was smothered by the other sounds, as he fell hard onto the ground. His grip on Princess waned, and in an instant she had turned to face him. Yet, for a moment, she didn't move. She stared at him, paws ready to attack, but she didn't. Because this wasn't a battle Jenna had sent her in. And this, her target, was not a Pokémon.

Taking a deep breath, she breathed out a furious stream of fire. The screams of the security guard grew louder in pitch, before finally dying out. Princess stopped her breath, and the corpse of the security guard shriveled up and burned slowly into little more than charred bone and ash.

Knight looked away at the ghastly site, and instead to the room that the man had been dragging them to. Princess, panting wisps and smoke, followed after. "I…I killed him."

Knight sighed and looked away. The screaming in the room didn't cease, and Knight understood when he saw all the cages in the room, along with all the Pokémon inside them. Knight cringed his jaw closed, his grip on his bone so tight he was almost bleeding. There were all sorts of Pokemon stretching through the bars at him, begging for his aid in their respective languages. Knight felt overwhelmed. The sheer volume of Pokémon inside the cages, but in particular there was a Cubone sobbing that he stared at. Knight was either getting angrier or edging closer to an emotional breakdown, Princess wasn't sure. She walked over and nudged him with her head softly. He barely acknowledged.

Swallowing down the bile she felt clawing up her throat, Princess walked to the nearest cage. She breathed a soft wisp onto the padlock of the cage, softening the metal, before clenching it in her jaws and biting it hard. Knight came to his senses, and began furious bashing in locks. The Pokémon that were freed quickly came to work, ripping off bars or locks, freeing more, who in turn aided in opening the cages, until all the cages were in shambles.

Knight growled, putting his bone on his shoulder. "Are there any more in cages?" he asked a Nidorino.

"I…I don't know," the Nidorino said. "They've been carrying out cages for the past week, adding cages, taking them out."

"Half of you, spread out. Find the others. Free them. The rest of you, come with Princess and I. We're going to find the humans who did this."

There were quite a few Pokemon that were true fighters: two Mankeys, a Primape, a whole herd of Nidorino. They would do well. And Knight turned, with Princess at his side.

Rook watched the minutes tick by on the big clock in the middle of town, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. His beak clenched a little as it approached the thirty minute mark. "You so owe me Knight," he said to no one in particular, flapping his wings to gain some altitude. The police station was located in the town square, which was fortunately where the clock was located as well. So he had a perfect view of his destination from here. "You really owe me," he said again. Taking a deep breath, and adjusting his flight, he shot at a sharp downward angle. There was a very large window in the police station, one that took up most of the front. It was not shatterproof, or that would have been an agonizing level of intimacy. Though Rook smashed into the glass hard, and hurt his head, and the shattered glass got well under his feathers, and he landed hard against a human, he at least wasn't dead. Just badly stunned.

Above him, humans were shouting. He groaned, shaking his head and trying to dislodge some of the millions of particles of glass out of his feathers. Big hands were groping at him, pinning him, holding him down. Rook nipped and fought against them. Because of the confusion in the police station, as well as his small size, he managed to wriggle out of the grips before the officers could pin him down, and he flapped hard to get some air.

Now, he just needed some way to get them to follow. He tackled the nearest human, clawing at their face, and closed his claws around this officer's glasses, before flapping hard.

"Fucking Pidgeys," the officer shouted. "Someone get after it. I can't see a fucking thing."

Rook snickered under his breath, gliding easily out of the hole he had made in the window, going slow enough that the humans wouldn't lose sight of him.

He glided towards the Gauntlet, but came to a problem when he feared the glass would be well reinforced. The doors used a weight sensor on the ground to open, though when he landed on it his weight was too little. Looking over his shoulder, he saw three very pissed off humans running after him, and a little fearful he tried hopping to trigger the weight register, but that did nothing.

When the humans approached and slowed to a walk: hands out in front of them in obvious preparation to spring. It was the moment that one did jump, that Rook did as well, flapping up higher. The human landed on the weight pad, and the door opened. Rook smiled, a bit proud of himself as he glided into the lobby of the Gauntlet.

Something was wrong, Rook could see that almost immediately. There were a dozen security guards: not just the regular bouncers but several men in black, and several carrying sticks or clubs. There were swarms of Pokémon: Ratatats climbing and biting at legs, Nidorinos charging and ramming into them. Rook gained several feet into the air as the security tried beating the Pokémon off. The police drew their weapons, ordering everyone to freeze. Some of the security did. Some of them didn't, and kept beating at the Pokémon, or charging at the police. The police, in turn, called in backup.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

Like a blurry flash of cream colored fur, Princess dove into the elevator, tackling that familiar elevator conductor to the ground. He groaned at the impact, hitting the inside wall. Before he could recover, and yank the Ninetales off, Princess breathed a heavy flame point blank at his face. The man screamed, holding up his hands to block out the flash of fire. Fat and skin melted…it was a ghastly sight, one that Knight turned away from.

"Find his keys," Princess said to Knight, as Knight had something akin to hands to search through his pockets. Knight did find a pair keys attached to a chain, which was in turn attached to his belt. When he started to started to stir, groaning in pain, somehow still alive despite the wounds over his face and hands and arms, Knight whacked him across the jaw to knock him out.

Getting the key into the lock at the top of the wall was cause of pause with both of them. Neither Knight nor Princess were tall enough to reach it. Knight finally leaned against the wall of the elevator. Princess, in turn, climbed up onto his shoulders, and rested her rump down on his head. He grumbled under his breath, but by stretching straight, she managed to take the keys into her mouth and just wiggle them into lock. Then she craned her head to the side, and it turned the key. The elevator lurched up, and the precarious balance of the two Pokémon crumbled. Knight fell onto the ground, and Princess fell on top of him. Beneath her rump, she felt him squirm and push.

"Do you always have to sit on me!" he demanded.

She stood up, moving off him. "Can you cut the jokes?"

Knight growled, using his bone to get back to his feet. The moment that Princess could squeeze through the still opening doors of the elevator, she was in the top floor room. Taking in a heavy breath, she exhaled, and breathed a great stream of fire at the desk, and the muscular human who sat behind it. The stream of fire was blocked when the Machoke moved into its path. The great, muscular Pokémon lifted his arms in front of him. The fire streamed around the huge Pokémon, harmless passing around the desk and protecting the man.

"Atrocious little beasts," the large man muttered. "Ace, take care of them."

The Machoke gave a low grumble, cracking his knuckles as he came walking forward. He flexed with each step, muscles rippling, skin stretched and straining to stay intact as the body rippled, brimming with power.

"You never said there was a Machoke," muttered Knight.

Princess began taking careful steps back. "I guess I forgot," she said. Then she dashed forward, moving at a fast speed and circling a wide arc. Knight instead aimed his bone, and like a boomerang, threw it, aimed at the Machoke's head.

The Machoke lifted a massive hand and caught the bone in the air, before it had reached his face. He turned, and threw the bone at Princess, who had stopped and taken in her breath to prepare a Fire Blast. She dodged to her side, but the bone caught her in the left leg, causing her to stumble slightly. She breathed out, but the blast missed the Machoke by several feet. He took a massive stomp to his side, then several stomps forward. Princess noticed the underside of his foot as he prepared to crush her, but Knight leapt at him. Losing his bone meant losing most of his offense. He still managed to leap onto the Machoke's shoulders, and taking his head in his hands, Knight smashed his skulled head into the taller Pokémon's.

The Machoke growled, stumbling back. He reached up, taking hold of Knight around the middle and throwing him against a wall. Princess leapt, seeking to bite the Machoke's leg, but a swift kick caught her in the middle, and sent her into the wall next to Knight. She groaned, looking up, eyes hazy and blurry. She managed to breathe a few embers forward at the Machoke, but his thick skin kept him safe from burns. Princess tackled Knight, rolling with him to the side, as the Machoke stomped down and nearly crushed the two of them. He turned; fist clenched and dropped it like a sledgehammer onto Knight, who gasped under his skull, body contorting to the force. Princess took a heavy breath, before breathing out a vast flame, point blank at the Machoke's face. He lifted his hands in front of his face and stumbled back, out of her range.

It was at this time that one of the air vents broke down, and a Pidgey came tumbling down to the ground. Wings stretched and flapped just in time to prevent him having too much force with the floor. "Knight," Rook said. "Princess, what is going…?" He looked over his shoulder to the Machoke, who gave a loud roar.

"Move," Princess shouted. She worked her head under Knight, and when she lifted, Knight slid onto her back. She padded quickly towards the far wall. She couldn't move at full speed or the Marowak would bounce off, she rather awkwardly padded along. Reaching relative safety of the far wall, she turned back, wondering why the Machoke hadn't attacked her. The answer came with Rook, who was fluttering around the Machoke, pecking and whacking him with stiff wings, distracting and infuriating the great creature.

Princess turned to Knight, gently checking him, making sure that he wasn't too badly hurt. There was damage to his ribs; she felt that with her dainty forepaws. But he was breathing, and that was important.

The Machoke roared, swinging massive fists and arms. Rook dodged and swept between the blows for the most part, but suddenly a stiff left hook caught him in the middle, and Rook went tumbling to his side.

Princess cringed, growling under her breath. She moved to aid him. The Machoke lifted his foot to finish the Pidgey off with a big stomp, when Rook pulled himself forward. He slid between the giant's legs, and when behind him fluttered into the air. The Machoke turned around, only to be caught be a hard tackle across the cheek which sent him stumbling.

Then Rook started to glow. Princess stopped moving forward briefly, instead watching what was happening. Even the Machoke took a moment. Breathless, Princess watched as Rook's form began to change within the blinding light, as wings began to grow and extend, neck began to stretch. She watched as the whole form began to expand, swelled hugely, and then the body shrank back to its new size. And before Princess, she saw a proud Pidgeotto fluttering.

For a few moments, Rook only flapped there, in midair, and the Machoke only stared at him, wondering how best to go about fighting him. The problem was finally settled when the Machoke reached down. Thick fingers dug into the ground, and with a hoist of his legs, he pulled a large chunk of the ground with him, and threw it at the Pidgeotto.

Rook swooped to his side, curving in a wide, stiff arc. Not unlike the hook that had knocked him to the ground, and triggered this new change. Rook straightened his wings to the ground, and twisted, and sharply crashed into the side of the Machoke's head. The Machoke stumbled slightly, but soon enough swung furiously at Rook. Rook had already lifted his head and adjusted his wings. He soared high, almost touching the roof of the large room, before again bending his back so he swooped in a circle. The momentum he carried put a great deal of force behind his blow. He tensed his neck so he wouldn't get hurt, as he smashed against the Machoke, squarely in the snout. The Machoke made no sound, save a low groan as he fell back, hitting the ground hard on his back. His head tilted to the side, tongue rolling out.

Rook fluttered over to Princess and Knight. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Princess looked to him, and then down to Knight, who was still unconscious. "We should get him out of here," she said softly. Then, as if realizing something, she asked, "Where is the human?"

Rook looked over his shoulder to the desk, and found it to be completely bare. He flapped his wings, and fluttered over to the desk, and began looking around. "I…I don't know. I didn't see him. I'm sorry."

Princess sighed. "No, it's alright." She nuzzled Knight's head. "We have to figure out how to get out of here."

There was chaos all around them. There were rooms where there were still Team Rocket agents, holding out for some sort of miracle. They didn't seem to realize that their boss had fled and left them to fight. Abandoned them really. The audience, who had come for the show, had been asked to remain in their seats. Doors had been locked from the outside to keep them under control while the criminals attempted to fight the police, so aside from a great deal of panic they were fine, safe in their grand arena. The freed Pokémon were being rounded up one by one. Many were starved, beaten, or frightened more than malicious. Along with the police came troops of control units, who either coaxed them Pokémon down or subdued them non-lethally.

"What are we going to do?" Princess asked. "We can't just walk out of here."

Rook used his beak to open the draw of the desk. "No, but maybe I can carry you."

"Rook, I know you are proud of your evolution, but we're too heavy."

Rook took two Poke balls in his talons and floated over to the two, dropping them down. "Seem familiar?"

When Rook had managed to fly back to the clearing by the river which had served as a home for them far longer than any other place he had ever had. He set the balls down, and tapped the center with his beak. Out popped Princess first, and then Knight, who was still lying on the ground.

Princess walked over, and nuzzled Knight's nape. She licked him. Rook walked over to the river and filled a bowl with cold water, then dumped it onto the Marowak's face. That woke him up. He groaned, sitting up, rubbing his eyes. He sat up. Rook fluttered over and gave him a soft hug. Knight looked to him, and muttered, "My god, you've gotten fat."

Rook gave a soft hiss under his breath. "I'm not fat."

Knight chuckled. "What happened? Where are we?"

"Back home. Rook beat the Machoke. The bad guy got away. We ran away."

Knight sighed. "I'm sorry Princess. That was all for nothing."

"Trainer…Trainer is gone Knight. I have to accept that. What did I even hope to find there? Her, with a smile and open arms? It was stupid to go. You were right."

Rook looked to her. "Princess…you saved countless Pokémon. You stopped a very bad man. You avenged her, by saving those Pokémon and bringing him into the light. You've grown strong and smart." Rook shrugged. "Princess, if your trainer was here, she would be so proud of you."

Knight nodded. "Princess, we've done a lot today. We saved a lot of good Pokémon from a very bad fate."

"Then why don't I feel any better?" Princess grumbled.

"That's life," Knight said.

"No, that's a lie." Princess looked to the Pidgeotto and the Marowak. "Thank you, both of you, for everything. Thank you very dearly."

Rook smiled. Knight looked uninterested, but said, "We're headed to…somewhere. Maybe someplace cold. You want to come along? It should be nice to have a walking set of matches with us."

Princess nodded softly. "Thank you," she said softly.

Rook leapt up, and landed on Princess' back, straddling her like a human would a Ponyta. "Let's go!" he shouted, pointing out his wing. And they headed off.


End file.
